The Justin Timberlake to Your Jimmy Fallon
Finding a content partner with creative chemistry
Last year on a slow afternoon, I sat down to write what I thought would be a throwaway article. I had just watched a Samsung commercial for Jay-Z’s latest album Magna Carta Holy Grail and was struck by the level of collaboration that went into the album. It left me wondering if the level of collaboration exhibited in the music community, and really any sort of artistic community, could and should be mirrored by content marketers.
The resulting article became my most trafficked Medium post ever:
While the resonance of the article came as a surprise, I was encouraged and thrilled that so many content marketers were getting excited about the message. We’re all in similar positions, facing similar challenges. Competing against other content marketers is just part of business, but if you can find somebody with whom you can collaborate, the content you’re capable of producing can be so much more than the sum of your parts.
However, like all Jerry McGuire-esque manifestos, the article lacked tangible action items. Sure, you should find work you admire and reach out to that person, that’s pretty straight forward. But how do you know if they are the right partner for you?
That’s why I thought it might be time to add more detail to just how we should go about building this collaborative utopia of content.
Seriously, Find Your Justin Timberlake
I didn’t use Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake in the title of this article just to get you to click on it (OK it wasn’t the only reason). The pair of performers really is the archetypal content collaboration relationship. Often times it seems like the two of them are actually incapable of being in the same place together without creating something.
Sure, they’re both incredibly talented artists in their own right, but they also compliment each other in just the right way to make their creation process seem effortless and always on the mark. Just look at a small sample of what the pair have produced over the past few years:
Why does this collaboration come so easily to the pair? While the bromance is evident, there are real creative elements at play that contribute to their successful partnership. Identifying these elements and seeking them out in collaborative partnerships is key to finding and maintaining creative chemistry.
Find Complimentary Skill Sets
While the content Justin and Jimmy have put out over the years has been amazingly diverse, most of the content falls into the categories of either sketches or music. Obviously this is no fluke, given the backgrounds of the two creators involved. But what is interesting, is how the two would fair in the creation process without each other.
While Justin Timberlake is charismatic and effortlessly smooth when performing in a sketch, it is often Jimmy that drives the plot lines forward and tees up Justin’s punchlines. Jimmy’s experience and instincts during sketches keep the whole premise together, allowing Justin to shine.
Conversely, while Jimmy is a talented singer (you’re probably trying to forget his debut album the Bathroom Wall) it is Justin’s supreme talent that holds their musical performances together. Consider that Jimmy’s First single “Idiot Boyfriend,” (remember that!?) which was released over over 13 years ago, boasts 1.8 million views on youtube. Meanwhile, his latest collaboration with Justin “The History of Rap 6,” released one month ago, already has 12.3 million views.
For content:
When it comes to producing content, it’s important to understand your strengths. Are you a strong copywriter or do you excel at design? Are you a social media wiz or a how-to guru? How you answer that question should inform what you look for in a creative partner. You can’t have a great infographic without solid copywriting and you can’t have a great article without a solid promotion plan.
Similar Motivations and Mindsets
As much as I’d love to keep this article to the objective factors that make up a great collaborative partnership, the truth is that most of what makes such a relationship click lies on much softer, psychological ground. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to define however.
Justin and Jimmy work as a partnership because they share a similar mindset and motivation. At the outset of every collaboration, they are trying to create something that their audience will enjoy and want to share. While that seems like a factor that should have little impact, it’s actually a very important balance to have. If Justin wanted to push his new CD or Jimmy wanted to drive viewers to another NBC show, the alignment that goes into their content would be off, and we as the audience would likely be able to feel that.
For content:
Content marketing covers the full spectrum of business needs and disciplines. If you don’t clarify motivations and mindsets at the outcome, you may find out halfway through a project that what your partner is looking to get from it is completely different from your vision. It would be pretty hard to create a piece of content you want to generate leads with a partner that’s looking to create a piece that retains customers. That doesn’t make for enjoyable or even successful content.
Collaborate on the Right Projects
This last point seems counterintuitive, but in my experience it’s important to limit your collaborations with your creative partner. It’s impossible to maintain a high level of creativity when you’re working closely or consistently with a partner. Imagine sharing a cubicle with somebody who’s work you appreciate and whom you deeply respect. Sure it would be exciting at first, but after a month or two… you’d likely find yourself somewhat less enthused. That’s why creativity is more about collaborating on the RIGHT projects.
While the volume of content Jimmy and Justin put out is impressive, it is also sporadic. They are not spending every waking moment with each other writing and brainstorming brilliant content. They both have their own day jobs that require most of their attention and keep them apart. That separation is actually crucial to their success.
Separation is actually crucial to their success.
When they do get together to create, they each bring their own unique experiences and perspectives to a project. They’re fresh and excited to be working together and it doesn’t feel like a grind. That crispness to the collaboration is what makes the ideas seem endless, the process seem effortless, and the end result priceless.
For content:
This particular point is easy for me to illustrate through personal experience:
One of my all time favorite collaborative partners (and people) is Heike Young. I’ve written about our work before and you’ve probably seen some of the excellent content I could have never put out without her. When she was working at ExactTarget, we would collaborate on something once a month or so and it was always my favorite project of that month. It would come together effortlessly, it would push the boundaries of what we were capable of, and it was a blast to work on. When Heike moved onto the content team at Salesforce, I thought it would be that feeling 24/7. However, we both discovered the reality was that bogged down in the tedium of the day to day, it was hard to find the same motivation or even time to collaborate.
That abrupt turnaround was a mystery to me for awhile until I worked with another one of my favorite collaborators (and beer lovers) Anne Murphy at Kapost. In addition to our complimentary skill sets (she writes, I design, goals are crushed) and similar motivations (inspire and educate content marketers), we also happen to have a lot of distance between us. While our orbits occasionally intersect, we spend a lot of our time in our own worlds. That distance is what allows us to bring our own fresh ideas to every project and makes every collaboration fun and exciting.
If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably not asking “Why should I care?” but I feel like it’s important to reiterate how crucial finding the right creative partner can be.
I like working alone. The content I produce is still part of a process that involves the full team (planning, proofing, etc.), but most of what I do takes place in some form of isolation. But as much as I enjoy it, it’s an undeniable fact that some of the best content I’ve produced in my career, hell maybe ALL of the best content I’ve produced in my career, has been part of a collaboration (looking at you Heike Young). It’s a simple fact that I will never be as creative or effective on my own as I am with the right creative partner.
I will never be as creative or effective on my own as I am with the right creative partner.
So branch out, form a partnership of your own, and start producing content that is more than the sum of it’s two creators.
